One problem I ran into working on TOC was figuring out which cliches to include and which to exclude. If you have some favorites that aren’t in the book, or something to add to the ones that are in the book, please pass them on.

For instance, one phrase that drives me crazy that we hear from politicians of all stripes is “Einstein defined insanity as ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

First of all does anyone know if he really said that?

Second, this is absurd. You know a better word for “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”?

“Practice.”

Golfers do the same thing over and over again hoping different results. Dart throwers, writers, prostitutes, singers, dancers, musicians, knitters and just about everybody who wants to get better at something repeat the same behavior over and over again. The saying “practice makes perfect” makes a hell of a lot more sense than “practice makes you crazy,” though I suppose practice has driven some people crazy. But you get the point.